Statutory Responsibilities

Purpose
The Coroner's Office is a statutory office, which is mandated to establish the cause and manner of death.

Cause of Death
The cause of death is the injury, disease, or combination of the two that was responsible for initiating the train of physiological disturbances (brief or prolonged), which produced the fatal termination.

Manner of Death
The manner of death refers to the circumstances in which the cause of death arose; such as suicide, natural causes, accident, and homicide.

It is often a misconception that the responsibility for determining these vital questions lies with the law enforcement agency; however, this is the responsibility of the coroner.